At this point in the season, the Los Angeles Lakers have no choice but to rely on each other to keep their team afloat. There's no denying their current roster is anything but ideal, but unfortunately for them, this is the team that they're stuck with for the remainder of the season.
The Lakers need every single member of their roster to play their respective roles the right way. LeBron James has been doing some insane things of late but it is clear that he cannot do it on his own. Guys like Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and even Anthony Davis — once he returns — will need to step up in a major way if they hope to keep their team's playoffs hopes alive. The same can be said for LA's rotational players.
This includes 6-foot-9 power forward Wenyen Gabriel, who signed with the Lakers earlier this month on a two-way deal. Head coach Frank Vogel has been giving the 24-year-old his chances and on Monday against the Raptors, Gabriel logged a season-high 19 minutes in the blowout loss.
Gabriel went just 1-of-8 from the field against Toronto but he was able to collect nine boards in his limited run. According to coach Vogel, he likes what he's been seeing from Gabriel thus far:
“I like the energy that Wenyen brings to our team,” Vogel said. “He plays super hard and has a pure attitude and is long and athletic. We need that type of length and athleticism at the forward position.
“He’s a little bit green in terms of being a young player, but definitely love his energy even though he didn’t make shots tonight.”
Vogel also praised Gabriel's ability to stretch the floor for the Lakers as he also hinted at the possibility of a bigger role for the former Kentucky standout:
“He’s got the ability to shoot the three, credit to him for having the guts to step up and make a big three [against Wizards] and obviously he can play as a roller and he’s got great length defensively that he can switch or play in coverage against the other team’s big so he’s interesting to us and we’re gonna spend some time here putting him in there and evaluating,” Vogel said.
Gabriel isn't going to be the answer to the Lakers' problems this season. However, it's important that guys like him play their part for the Lakers, regardless of how minimal it might be. This problem requires a complete team effort and every single player will need to buy in for this to work — even Wenyen Gabriel.
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